Any business committed to advancing sustainability over the coming decades has to navigate the increasingly complex interplay of two powerful disruptive forces, technological innovation and seismic shifts in the geopolitical landscape. In both cases, the complexity has increased significantly since the end of 2015, when the governments of the world agreed a series of 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals and the Cop 21 Summit in Paris pledged to mobilise trillions of dollars to fight climate change.

Even before the populist political events of 2016 raised questions about the strength of commitment to the SDG/COP21 agenda, it was clear that achieving sustainability by 2030 would not be possible without the world, and business in particular, dramatically raising its game. As well as adopting more overtly inclusive macroeconomic policies, it was apparent that significant technological innovation would be essential to achieving sustainability. With the recent populist attack on globalisation, including efforts to tackle climate change, the task is becoming even harder, and as political will weakens, the pressure is only growing for business to lead the sustainability effort.

Gathering critical thinkers, policymakers and business leaders, the Sustainability Summit will lead a wide-ranging conversation that will address issues from the big macro trends shaping the sustainability agenda and the breakthrough technologies that are encouraging a sense of optimism despite the political climate, to the leading sustainability strategies being pursued by top companies.

Why attend

Discussion topics:

Politics, policy and responsibility: what more needs to change to move toward a circular economy?

View from the top: what role does the private sector play in achieving sustainability goals?

Green technology: what are the new technologies driving progress across policy and business?

The long view: how can we look past the prevailing short-termism dominating markets within corporate strategies and begin to act with an eye to the future?

Business leadership: how can business merge the need to operate profitably and the responsibility to act sustainability?

Impact investing: where should investors direct their capital in order to make the biggest impact?

Precious resources: will the world soon be at war over water? What needs to happen to guarantee clean and affordable access to water?

10 billion mouths to feed: how can food producers advance the world’s transition to more sustainable economy, while ensuring the nutrition of its people?

Smart cities: how can we successfully use technology and citizen engagement to solve urban challenges?

A climate of change: where lay the opportunities and obstacles to greater low-carbon technologies?

Join us and you will:

Network with more than 200 leaders from business, finance, and government

Connect with those at the forefront of the sustainability effort

Shape the evolving dialogue on sustainability and gain insight from fellow decision-makers and innovators

Join the global effort to create an inclusive and environmentally sustainable marketplace

Find like-minded organizations looking to make an impact on the future of the planet

Speakers

John Podesta

Founder, Centre for American Progress

John Podesta

Founder, Centre for American Progress

John Podesta served as chair of Hillary for America. Prior to joining Hillary Clinton's campaign he served as counselor to President Barack Obama. His duties included overseeing climate change and energy policy. In 2008, he served as co-chair of President Obama’s transition team. He is the former chair of the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Prior to founding the Center in 2003, he served as White House chief of staff to President Bill Clinton. He also recently served on the President’s Global Development Council and the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Additionally, Podesta has held numerous positions on Capitol Hill, including counselor to Democratic Leader Sen. Thomas A. Daschle.

Trisa Thompson

Chief responsibility officer, Dell Inc.

Trisa Thompson

Chief responsibility officer, Dell Inc.

Trisa Thompson is senior vice-president and chief responsibility officer at Dell, with responsibility for Dell’s Legacy of Good program including strategic giving, sustainability, and women’s initiatives. Prior to this role, Trisa was a vice-president in Dell’s Legal Department for 12 years. Trisa graduated with honors from The National Law Center, George Washington University. She received her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Boston University in 1983, where she majored in Mass Communications.

Trisa serves as a judge for the global Circular Awards with the World Economic Forum, working to increase understanding of the benefits of a circular economy. She is also on the national corporate advisory board for the American Red Cross. Trisa received the 2008 Volunteer of the Year award from the United Way of Austin. In addition, in 2014, the National Diversity Council awarded her the Most Powerful and Influential Women of Texas Award and they also named her as one of the Top 50 Women in Technology in 2014. Outside of the office, Trisa is the incoming chair for Lifeworks in Austin, an organization helping homeless teens gain self-sufficiency. Trisa also serves on the Emeritus Advisory Board for Law and Technology News. Previously, Trisa served on the Boards of the United Way in Central Texas, the Women’s Giving Network, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, I Live Here I Give Here, and was president of the Zach Scott Theatre and KLRU Boards. She was also a founding member of the Austin/San Antonio Chapter of the Texas General Counsel Forum.

Steve Adler

Mayor, Austin

Steve Adler

Mayor, Austin

Mayor Steve Adler was sworn into office in January 2015 and has focused primarily on Austin’s growing affordability crisis and worsening traffic. On affordability, Mayor Adler and the Council created a 6% homestead exemption in 2015 to provide a property tax break to homeowners, raising it to 8% in 2016. Under Adler, the Council also increased the senior and disabled property tax exemption to $82,500 and approved a settlement with Austin Energy in August 2016 that lowered electric rates for everyone in town. Also in August 2016, HUD Secretary Julián Castro recognized Mayor Adler for completing the Mayors’ Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. On mobility, Mayor Adler convened a broad community coalition to win support of the Smart Corridor mobility bond before the Council in August 2016. Mayor Adler has received recognition for his innovative ideas and leadership. In Jun. 2016, the United States Conference of Mayors elected Mayor Adler to the Advisory Board. In August 2016, Mayor Adler was voted by mayors surveyed by POLITICO Magazine as the co-winner of the Rookie of the Year award. In September 2016, Living Cities included Mayor Adler on the list of 25 Disruptive Leaders.

Carol Browner

Carol Browner

Carol M. Browner most recently served as assistant to President Barack Obama and director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, where she oversaw the coordination of environmental, energy, climate, transport, and related policy across the federal government. During her tenure, the White House secured the largest investment ever in clean energy and established a national car policy that included both new automobile fuel-efficiency standards and the first-ever greenhouse gas reductions. Previously, Browner was a founding principal of The Albright Group LLC from 2001 to 2008. From 1993 to 2001, Browner served as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. She was known for working with both environmentalists and industry to set science-based public health protections while providing businesses with important flexibilities in how to meet those standards. From 1991 to 1993, Ms Browner served as Secretary of Environmental Regulation in Florida, where she launched the largest ecological restoration project ever attempted in the United States.

Mike Frank

Senior vice-president and chief commercial officer, Monsanto

Mike Frank

Senior vice-president and chief commercial officer, Monsanto

Mike Frank is senior vice-president, chief commercial officer of Monsanto Company, where he leads teams around the world who help provide farmers with tools and solutions they need to sustainably feed our growing global population. This work has taken him across the globe to meet with farmers of all sizes about the challenges they face – whether drought, poor soil quality or pests – and the solutions available to help get the most out of every acre and every harvest while conserving the Earth’s natural resources. Mike began his career at Monsanto more than 25 years ago as a sales representative, but his passion for farming began long before, growing up on his family’s grain and livestock farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Over the course of his career at Monsanto, he has held roles in sales, marketing, supply chain management, crop protection and commercial operations. In 2008, he was named president of Monsanto China, and advanced the company’s operations as well as established its current joint seed venture in China. He also led Monsanto’s Europe, Africa and Asia commercial operations and served as vice-president of its global commercial operations before being named Chief Commercial Officer in 2016. A resident of St. Louis, Missouri, Mike is actively involved in a number of community causes. He currently serves on the board of directors for World Trade Center St. Louis and as board chairman for Junior Achievement of Greater St. Louis. He was recognized by the American Heart Association with its 2015 Mission Impact Award and is a “Mosaic Ambassador” for the St. Louis Mosaic Project, an initiative to welcome international talent to the region. Mike holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan and an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Jesse Griffiths

Executive chef and owner, Dai Due Butcher Shop & Supper Club

Jesse Griffiths

Executive chef and owner, Dai Due Butcher Shop & Supper Club

Jesse Griffiths started Dai Due with partner Tamara Mayfield in 2006, initially as a supper club and farmers market stand with a mission to focus on ingredients that represent Central Texas. As the supper clubs became more popular, Griffiths became known for his appreciation of the land and his approach to hunting, which stresses a respect for the animal in its entirety and its environment. Griffiths and Mayfield expanded Dai Due to include the New School of Traditional Cookery, a series of ethical hunting, fishing, cooking and butchery classes. In less than a year, they had drawn students from around the country and gained attention from The New York Times, Texas Monthly, The Wall Street Journal, and others. Griffiths was nominated as Food & Wine's The People's Best New Chef in 2011.

In 2012 Griffiths shared his love of the hunt with his James Beard Award-finalist cookbook, Afield: A Chef’s Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish, which he worked on with Austin-based photographer Jody Horton. In the fall of 2014, Griffiths and Mayfield opened Dai Due’s brick-and-mortar butcher shop and restaurant. Described as “an ode to Texas,” the restaurant was named one of the top 15 Most Outstanding Restaurants of 2015 by Alan Richman of GQ Magazine, one of the South’s Most Exciting New Restaurants by Garden & Gun Magazine, one of Austin’s best restaurants by the Austin-American Statesman, and one of Bon Appetit’s Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America of 2015.

Larry Ryan

Business president, Energy and Water Solutions, The Dow Chemical Company

Larry Ryan

Business president, Energy and Water Solutions, The Dow Chemical Company

Larry Ryan is the business president for Energy and Water Solutions, based in Houston, Texas, where he is responsible for developing and executing the global business strategy to address the ongoing needs created by the growing global population, which has increased demand in both established and emerging economies for products and technologies that can consistently improve the availability and quality of energy and water for consumer and industrial use. Dow is well positioned with a suite of offerings that serve those needs, with this business segment – Dow Microbial Control, Dow Oil, Gas and Mining and Dow Water & Process Solutions. Prior to this role, he was the global business director for Dow Oil, Gas & Mining. He joined Dow in September 2011 from Halliburton Energy Services, where he served as the global manager for water treatment.

Larry began his career with General Electric in 1998 where he held various technical and commercial leadership positions within GE Silicones, including his role in 2003 as the global technology leader for Elastomers/RTV based in Germany and as the business manager for the same unit starting in 2006. In 2007, he became the chief executive officer of SulphCo Inc., and then later moved to Halliburton in 2011 to become the global manager for water treatment. Larry holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware.

Ruth Kimmelshue

Ruth Kimmelshue

Ruth Kimmelshue leads Cargill’s business operations and supply chain, an organization in Cargill including strategic sourcing and procurement; plant operations; transportation and logistics; environment, health and safety; food safety, quality and regulatory; and research and development. This team is responsible for delivering efficient and effective supply chain capabilities and functional expertise to the corporation and its businesses.

Before taking her current role, Kimmelshue was a leader in Cargill’s animal protein and salt businesses. Prior to that, she served in a variety of leadership roles, including president of Cargill’s turkey and cooked meats business; president of Cargill’s salt business; and vice president and commercial manager of Cargill’s AgHorizons business.

She began her career in 1986 at Continental Grain. She held roles in grain and oilseed merchandising and trading, facility and general management, economic analysis, and marketing and sales in the U.S. and Europe. Cargill acquired Continental Grain in 1999. Kimmelshue earned a B.A. in international relations and an M.A. in agricultural economics from Stanford University.

Cyrus Wadia

Vice-president, Sustainable business and innovation, Nike

Cyrus Wadia

Vice-president, Sustainable business and innovation, Nike

Dr. Cyrus Wadia is vice-president, Sustainable Business and Innovation, NIKE, where he is responsible for enabling the company’s sustainability strategy with the goal of driving transformational change, not just across Nike, but also across the industry. The team he leads focuses on several areas including testing and prototyping of new business models, accelerating partnerships for scaling sustainable innovations, and supporting Nike’s broad innovation agenda through science and analytics.

Cyrus is the former assistant director for Clean Energy and Materials resource and development with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy where he advised the White House and Executive Branch leadership in the design of national policy in energy, climate, advanced materials, manufacturing, and critical minerals. In this role, which he held from 2010-2015, Cyrus was responsible for the creation and expansion of more than $1 billion in new budgetary initiatives, including the Materials Genome Initiative, and he led the development of the nation’s first policy framework and strategy on critical minerals.

Prior to joining the White House, Cyrus held a dual appointment with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the Haas School of Business where he was the Co-Director of Cleantech to Market and a research scientist. He also spent more than seven years in Silicon Valley as an entrepreneur, working with several successful venture backed tech startups.

Cyrus earned his Ph.D in Energy & Resources from U.C. Berkeley and holds both an M.S. and S.B. in Chemical Engineering from MIT.

John Mandyck

Chief sustainability officer, United Technologies Corporation

John Mandyck

Chief sustainability officer, United Technologies Corporation

John Mandyck serves as chief sustainability officer for United Technologies Corporation. A global leader in the aerospace, food refrigeration and commercial building industries, United Technologies provides high-technology systems and services that set the standard for performance, reliability and energy efficiency, with well-known global brands such as Pratt & Whitney, UTC Aerospace Systems, Carrier and Otis. John chairs the Corporate Advisory Board of the World Green Building Council, and serves as chairman of the Board of Directors for the Urban Green Council in New York City. He is a member of the Corporate Council at the Harvard University Center for Health and the Global Environment. John is the co-author of the book Food Foolish, which explores the hidden connection between food waste, hunger and climate change. Throughout his career, John has worked with governments, universities and organizations to accelerate environmental sustainability in an increasingly urbanizing world. He has presented energy efficiency, sustainability and future of food strategies to audiences around the globe.

Cynthia Ringo

Senior partner, DBL Partners

Cynthia Ringo

Senior partner, DBL Partners

Cyn­thia Ringo is a Senior Part­ner of DBL Part­ners, and a Man­ag­ing Part­ner of a prior fund man­aged under DBL Investors. Ms. Ringo cur­rently sits on the board of direc­tors of The Real­Real, Urban­sit­ter, Maiyet, RubyRib­bon and Siva Power, and works with View, Yer­dle, Kateeva and Apeel Sci­ences. Ms. Ringo was for­merly a Man­ag­ing Direc­tor of Van­tage­Point Ven­ture Part­ners from 2002 to 2008 where she was Group Leader of the Com­mu­ni­ca­tions, Sys­tems, Inter­net and Media Prac­tice. Ms. Ringo served as a Board Mem­ber of the fol­low­ing Van­tage­Point port­fo­lio com­pa­nies: Entri­sphere, Klipsh, Tym­phany, Widevine, Live­scribe, Prov­ina and Meriton. Prior to Van­tage­Point Ven­ture Part­ners, Ms. Ringo served as the CEO of Cop­per­com, a next-​​generation net­work switch­ing com­pany, from 1998 to 2001 and was the Chair­man of the Board from 2001 to 2002. While at Cop­per­com Ms. Ringo took the com­pany from pre-​​revenue and five employ­ees to an indus­try leader in two new com­mu­ni­ca­tions mar­kets. Cop­per­com was acquired by Heico Cor­po­ra­tion in 2003. Prior to Cop­per­com Ms. Ringo was the SVP of Cor­po­rate Devel­op­ment and Busi­ness Units at net­work­ing com­pany Madge Net­works from 1993 to 1997. While at Madge Net­works Ms. Ringo had P&L respon­si­bil­ity for 3 busi­ness units with $400 mil­lion rev­enue and 500 staff, and iden­ti­fied and nego­ti­ated acqui­si­tions worth over $500 mil­lion. Ms. Ringo was the VP Mar­ket­ing and Sales at data ware­hous­ing soft­ware com­pany Red Brick Sys­tems from 1990 to 1993. From 1980 to 1990 Ms. Ringo held var­i­ous legal, sales, mar­ket­ing, busi­ness devel­op­ment, and con­sult­ing roles. Ms. Ringo served on the board of the Forum for Women Entre­pre­neurs from 2000 to 2004, and as Chair of the Board for 2001 through 2003. Ms. Ringo is a men­tor to Stan­ford University’s Grad­u­ate School of Busi­ness, Cen­ter for Entre­pre­neur­ial Stud­ies. She also serves as an advi­sor to sev­eral orga­ni­za­tions includ­ing: the SVFo­rum, a Sil­i­con Val­ley lead­er­ship forum, Astia, sup­port­ing women-​​led entre­pre­neurs, as a judge for the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change com­pe­ti­tion, a mem­ber of the Emer­i­tus Board, Water­mark and is a mem­ber of Broad­way Angels. Ms. Ringo received a BS in Legal Sys­tems from Geor­gia State Uni­ver­sity and a JD from Emory Uni­ver­sity School of Law.

Philippe Lacamp

Senior vice-president, Americas, Cathay Pacific

Philippe Lacamp

Senior vice-president, Americas, Cathay Pacific

Philippe Lacamp was appointed senior vice-president, Americas in 2015, and oversees all facets of Cathay Pacific’s operations and commercial activities in the Americas. Prior, he was head of Sustainable Development for Swire Pacific and John Swire & Sons, covering a range of industries including aviation, shipping and marine services, property development, beverages and agri-business. In that role, he established an investment unit investing in bio-tech companies and also ran Swire Waste Management Ltd, a joint venture operating company within the Swire group. Prior to Swire Pacific, Philippe worked extensively within the Cathay Pacific Airways Group and has held a wide range of positions within the Swire group. As general manager Corporate Risk Management, he was responsible for the development and implementation of a corporate risk management structure for the airline, covering legal, compliance, risk and insurance. During his time in the International Affairs department, he assisted with the negotiations of air services agreements and other industry regulatory issues.

Philippe has also held a number of overseas management positions within Cathay Pacific, including Country Manager of Sri Lanka & Maldives, and France, Spain & Portugal, as well as Vice President Canada, overseeing all Cathay Pacific business and operations in Vancouver and Toronto. Born and educated in the United Kingdom, Philippe graduated from Durham University. He is married with two children.

Chris Grantham

Portfolio director, IDEO London

Chris Grantham

Portfolio director, IDEO London

A portfolio director in IDEO's London studio, Chris Grantham is a brand thinker, and strategist. He began his career as an advertising planner, before working in brand, marketing, and innovation strategy, across industries.

Having taken a classic approach previously, Chris is now fascinated in developing brands in a more agile, iterative way. His expertise lies in applying design thinking to holistic brand experiences, across space, digital, people, services and business model.

Chris is also a passionate systems designer, leading IDEO’s partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, formed to advance innovative solutions towards a more circular economy.

Josh Onishi

Chief executive, Peace Dining Corporation

Josh Onishi

Chief executive, Peace Dining Corporation

chief executive, speaker, thought leader, Josh Onishi leads Peace Dining Corporation, the largest sushi retail organization in North America. The company is known for evolving “supermarket sushi” with its innovative store within a store concept (like in Whole Foods) where an actual on-site sushi chef manages the location and prepares the freshest sushi according to the highest standard of Japanese sushi craft. Josh has been instrumental in raising the awareness and acceptance of sushi and Japanese cuisine in North America using inventive merchandising, menu and marketing concepts. Of particular note, is his commitment to global sustainability and responsible fishing practices, which are a core principle of his company and products.

He received his MBA at Columbia University and undergraduate degree from Osaka University.

Julia W. Novy-Hildesley

Executive director, change leadership for sustainability, school of earth, energy and environmental sciences, Stanford University

Julia W. Novy-Hildesley

Executive director, change leadership for sustainability, school of earth, energy and environmental sciences, Stanford University

Julia Novy-Hildesley is professor of the Practice and executive director of Stanford's Change Leadership for Sustainability Program, which includes the Sustainability Science and Practice Interdisciplinary Masters degree. Her research and teaching focus on business strategies, leadership approaches and cross-sector partnerships that spur global development and align systems with the goal of intergenerational well-being. The Change Leadership Program explores the mindsets, knowledge and tools leaders need to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient society. These include understanding complex systems, leading organisational change, and innovating in complex systems at scale in order to shift sub-optimal status quo orientations toward sustainability.

With 20 years’ experience leading non-profit and philanthropic organizations, Julia Novy-Hildesley is recognised for her innovative leadership in designing and scaling entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges that integrate economic, social and environmental objectives. In 2013, she founded Resilience in Action, dedicated to helping 21st century leaders cultivate resilience in their lives, organisations and sectors. Resilience in Action leads resilience journeys to dynamic natural environments like the Peruvian Amazon, and partners with diverse organizations to enhance strategic clarity.

As executive director of the Lemelson Foundation for nearly a decade, Novy-Hildesley was responsible for guiding over $100 million of investment in new technology, inventors and social enterprises in the U.S and developing countries. She and her team designed and applied creative financing strategies, such as first-loss capital, to enable the Foundation’s philanthropic resources to leverage traditional capital from more risk-averse national and international banks. These collaborative investments supported inventor-entrepreneurs who created clean energy technologies, clean water solutions, health innovations and agricultural tools that served the needs of those living on less than $3 per day, building businesses that created jobs, increased incomes, and improved livelihoods in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

As director of World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Pacific Marine Office, Novy-Hildesley collaborated with colleagues at Unilever and WWF to help develop and launch the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a global partnership that uses third-party certification and eco-labeling to transform fisheries supply chains into sources of sustainable seafood with products now widely available in Walmart, Safeway, Target and other major retailers. As chief executive of Washington STEM, Novy-Hildesley worked with Microsoft, Boeing, and the education community to bring business into the classroom and cultivate 21st century skills for underserved youth.

In 2010, Novy-Hildesley was recognised as a distinguished Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and served as a Topic Leader for the Clinton Global Initiative on “Market-based solutions to environmental challenges.”

A Fulbright and Marshall Scholar, Novy-Hildesley speaks French, Spanish and Kiswahili, and has lived and worked extensively in developing countries for agencies, including the World Bank, USAID and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). Her writing has been published in in Innovations Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review, the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, and other publications.

Kim Marotta

Global senior director corporate social responsibility, Molson Coors

Kim Marotta

Global senior director corporate social responsibility, Molson Coors

Kim Marotta is the global senior director corporate responsibility for Molson Coors, a position she has held since December, 2016. In her role, she is responsible for building and leading the global sustainability for the company. Kim joined the beer business in 2004, and held similar positions for MillerCoors, the U.S. subsidiary of Molson Coors.

Kim completed her undergraduate degree at Marquette University and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. Prior to her career in beer, Kim was a criminal defense attorney for thirteen years and served as an adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School.

Kim is a current member of the board of directors for The Nature Conservancy-Wisconsin, and has served on numerous other local non-profit boards and organizations, including Milwaukee World Festivals, Alcohol Beverage and Medical Research Foundation and Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Susan Avery

President emerita, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and faculty affiliate, center for science and technology policy research, University of Colorado, Boulder

Susan Avery

President emerita, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and faculty affiliate, center for science and technology policy research, University of Colorado, Boulder

Susan K. Avery is a senior fellow at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, a vising distinguished fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a faculty affiliate in the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is president emerita of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, having served as president and director from 2008 to 2015. During her tenure there, the institution increased the application of its knowledge to societal issues, providing high-quality data and analysis across a range of topics, including climate, biodiversity, natural resources and natural hazards mitigation. Prior to that, she was a member of the faculty of the University of Colorado, Boulder from 1982 to 2008, most recently holding the academic rank of professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She served as the director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, where she facilitated new interdisciplinary research efforts spanning the geosciences and incorporating social and biological sciences. From 2004 to 2007 she served in interim positions as vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate school, as well as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Dr. Avery received her Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1972 from Michigan State University and a doctorate in atmospheric science in 1978 from the University of Illinois. Her research interests include studies of atmospheric circulation and precipitation, climate variability and water resources, and the development of new radar techniques and instruments for remote sensing. She also has an interest in scientific literacy and the role of science in public policy. The author or co-author of over 110 peer-reviewed articles and reports, Dr. Avery has given scientific presentations to a wide variety of lay and professional audiences, including TEDx Boston. She has been active in Congressional outreach, including testimony and briefings; in US and international consortia dedicated to ocean research, observation, and applications; and has worked with the Governor’s committee to develop the Massachusetts Green Economy plan. Her recent professional service includes the UN Science Advisory Board and advisory committees for the US Global Change Research program, the Sustained National Climate Assessment, NASA, NSF, and NOAA.

Dr. Avery is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Meteorological Society, for which she also served as president. She currently serves on the board of trustees of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Awards and recognition include honorary degrees from Michigan State University and the University of Massachusetts. Dartmouth; charter membership of the National Associate Program in the National Academy of Sciences; and an Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois. In 2017 she was elected to the board of directors of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

Agenda

Opening remarks

Miranda Johnson

South-east Asia correspondent, The Economist

Miranda Johnson

South-east Asia correspondent, The Economist

Miranda Johnson is The Economist’s South-East Asia correspondent. Prior to this role, she was US South-east correspondent based in Atlanta and environment correspondent in London. Ms Johnson’s varied interests mean she has written for the international, United States, Britain, science and business sections on topics from youth unemployment and energy policy to smartphones and fiscal corruption. She has also edited relevant online coverage as a science correspondent and served as the editorial assistant for The World in 2014.

9:10 AM

Opening interview

Steve Adler

Mayor, Austin

Steve Adler

Mayor, Austin

Mayor Steve Adler was sworn into office in January 2015 and has focused primarily on Austin’s growing affordability crisis and worsening traffic. On affordability, Mayor Adler and the Council created a 6% homestead exemption in 2015 to provide a property tax break to homeowners, raising it to 8% in 2016. Under Adler, the Council also increased the senior and disabled property tax exemption to $82,500 and approved a settlement with Austin Energy in August 2016 that lowered electric rates for everyone in town. Also in August 2016, HUD Secretary Julián Castro recognized Mayor Adler for completing the Mayors’ Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. On mobility, Mayor Adler convened a broad community coalition to win support of the Smart Corridor mobility bond before the Council in August 2016. Mayor Adler has received recognition for his innovative ideas and leadership. In Jun. 2016, the United States Conference of Mayors elected Mayor Adler to the Advisory Board. In August 2016, Mayor Adler was voted by mayors surveyed by POLITICO Magazine as the co-winner of the Rookie of the Year award. In September 2016, Living Cities included Mayor Adler on the list of 25 Disruptive Leaders.

Miranda Johnson

Environment Correspondent, The Economist

Miranda Johnson

Environment Correspondent, The Economist

Miranda Johnson is The Economist's environment correspondent and attended COP21 climate negotiations in Paris last year. Prior to this role she lived in Atlanta to cover America’s South for the newspaper. Miranda's varied interests mean she has written for the International, United States, Britain, Science, Finance and Business sections on topics from youth unemployment to seed banks and smartphones to fiscal corruption. She has also overseen online Science coverage and served as an editorial assistant on The World in 2014.

9:15 AM

Sustainability in a world of change

If the world is to have a more sustainable future, governments will need to cooperate much more closely. This session offers a look at key macro trends affecting the sustainability agenda, and what they mean for business. What is the future of the populist backlash against global consensus, including the COP21 climate agreement? What are the implications and contradictions in china’s growing political leadership on sustainability? To what extent is the sustainability agenda being driven by technological innovation (e.g renewable energy, big data/AI efficiencies) that makes business leadership on sustainability an increasingly profit-driven imperative?

Carol Browner

Carol Browner

Carol M. Browner most recently served as assistant to President Barack Obama and director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, where she oversaw the coordination of environmental, energy, climate, transport, and related policy across the federal government. During her tenure, the White House secured the largest investment ever in clean energy and established a national car policy that included both new automobile fuel-efficiency standards and the first-ever greenhouse gas reductions. Previously, Browner was a founding principal of The Albright Group LLC from 2001 to 2008. From 1993 to 2001, Browner served as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. She was known for working with both environmentalists and industry to set science-based public health protections while providing businesses with important flexibilities in how to meet those standards. From 1991 to 1993, Ms Browner served as Secretary of Environmental Regulation in Florida, where she launched the largest ecological restoration project ever attempted in the United States.

Ion Yadigaroglu

Partner and managing principal, Capricorn Investment Group

Ion Yadigaroglu

Partner and managing principal, Capricorn Investment Group

Dr. Ion Yadigaroglu is partner managing principal at Capricorn Investment Group. Ion oversees investment activities, with an emphasis on direct investments and proprietary strategies. Prior to Capricorn, Ion was a director of Business Development (M&A) with Koch Industries, executing a range of acquisitions and investments. Prior to Koch, he was a founder and chief executive at Bivio, a software business in Colorado, and an Analyst for Olsen & Associates, a foreign exchange trading house. Ion was a research fellow at Columbia University and holds a Masters in Physics from Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule Zurich in Switzerland and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Stanford University.

Ruth Kimmelshue

Ruth Kimmelshue

Ruth Kimmelshue leads Cargill’s business operations and supply chain, an organization in Cargill including strategic sourcing and procurement; plant operations; transportation and logistics; environment, health and safety; food safety, quality and regulatory; and research and development. This team is responsible for delivering efficient and effective supply chain capabilities and functional expertise to the corporation and its businesses.

Before taking her current role, Kimmelshue was a leader in Cargill’s animal protein and salt businesses. Prior to that, she served in a variety of leadership roles, including president of Cargill’s turkey and cooked meats business; president of Cargill’s salt business; and vice president and commercial manager of Cargill’s AgHorizons business.

She began her career in 1986 at Continental Grain. She held roles in grain and oilseed merchandising and trading, facility and general management, economic analysis, and marketing and sales in the U.S. and Europe. Cargill acquired Continental Grain in 1999. Kimmelshue earned a B.A. in international relations and an M.A. in agricultural economics from Stanford University.

Matthew Bishop

Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist

Matthew Bishop

Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist

Matthew Bishop, Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist, is an award-winning journalist whose roles at The Economist have included business editor, Wall Street editor, globalisation editor and New York bureau chief. He is the author of several books, including Philanthrocapitalism: How Giving Can Save the World (described as “important” by president Bill Clinton) and The Road From Ruin, which set out an agenda for the reform of capitalism after the 2008 crash. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Global Governance. He was the official report author of the G8 Taskforce on Social Impact Investment and a member of the advisors group of the UN International Year of Microcredit. He co-founded and advises the #givingtuesday campaign and the Social Progress Index.

10:00 AM

View from the top

How will corporate leaders in North and South America sustain their businesses in the face of rapid global change and increased competition for resources? Leading executives discusses their views on the changing sustainability agenda and how it is changing the nature of business leadership.

Mike Frank

Senior vice-president and chief commercial officer, Monsanto

Mike Frank

Senior vice-president and chief commercial officer, Monsanto

Mike Frank is senior vice-president, chief commercial officer of Monsanto Company, where he leads teams around the world who help provide farmers with tools and solutions they need to sustainably feed our growing global population. This work has taken him across the globe to meet with farmers of all sizes about the challenges they face – whether drought, poor soil quality or pests – and the solutions available to help get the most out of every acre and every harvest while conserving the Earth’s natural resources. Mike began his career at Monsanto more than 25 years ago as a sales representative, but his passion for farming began long before, growing up on his family’s grain and livestock farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Over the course of his career at Monsanto, he has held roles in sales, marketing, supply chain management, crop protection and commercial operations. In 2008, he was named president of Monsanto China, and advanced the company’s operations as well as established its current joint seed venture in China. He also led Monsanto’s Europe, Africa and Asia commercial operations and served as vice-president of its global commercial operations before being named Chief Commercial Officer in 2016. A resident of St. Louis, Missouri, Mike is actively involved in a number of community causes. He currently serves on the board of directors for World Trade Center St. Louis and as board chairman for Junior Achievement of Greater St. Louis. He was recognized by the American Heart Association with its 2015 Mission Impact Award and is a “Mosaic Ambassador” for the St. Louis Mosaic Project, an initiative to welcome international talent to the region. Mike holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan and an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Philippe Lacamp

Senior vice-president, Americas, Cathay Pacific

Philippe Lacamp

Senior vice-president, Americas, Cathay Pacific

Philippe Lacamp was appointed senior vice-president, Americas in 2015, and oversees all facets of Cathay Pacific’s operations and commercial activities in the Americas. Prior, he was head of Sustainable Development for Swire Pacific and John Swire & Sons, covering a range of industries including aviation, shipping and marine services, property development, beverages and agri-business. In that role, he established an investment unit investing in bio-tech companies and also ran Swire Waste Management Ltd, a joint venture operating company within the Swire group. Prior to Swire Pacific, Philippe worked extensively within the Cathay Pacific Airways Group and has held a wide range of positions within the Swire group. As general manager Corporate Risk Management, he was responsible for the development and implementation of a corporate risk management structure for the airline, covering legal, compliance, risk and insurance. During his time in the International Affairs department, he assisted with the negotiations of air services agreements and other industry regulatory issues.

Philippe has also held a number of overseas management positions within Cathay Pacific, including Country Manager of Sri Lanka & Maldives, and France, Spain & Portugal, as well as Vice President Canada, overseeing all Cathay Pacific business and operations in Vancouver and Toronto. Born and educated in the United Kingdom, Philippe graduated from Durham University. He is married with two children.

Matthew Bishop

Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist

Matthew Bishop

Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist

Matthew Bishop, Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist, is an award-winning journalist whose roles at The Economist have included business editor, Wall Street editor, globalisation editor and New York bureau chief. He is the author of several books, including Philanthrocapitalism: How Giving Can Save the World (described as “important” by president Bill Clinton) and The Road From Ruin, which set out an agenda for the reform of capitalism after the 2008 crash. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Global Governance. He was the official report author of the G8 Taskforce on Social Impact Investment and a member of the advisors group of the UN International Year of Microcredit. He co-founded and advises the #givingtuesday campaign and the Social Progress Index.

10:30 AM

Spotlight on breakthrough technology

The first in our series of technologies with the potential to dramatically increase sustainability

Lisa Barnett

Co-founder, Little Spoon

Lisa Barnett

Prior to Little Spoon, Lisa spent 6 years as an investor in and operator at some of the world’s top consumer brands. Her venture experience included time spent as a partner at Sherpa Foundry and, before that, an investor at VC firms Maveron & Dorm Room Fund. Her investment focus was on B2C technology startups, namely, e-commerce, marketplace, and brands - leading her to be recognized as a Forbes 30 under 30 VC in 2017. Before becoming an investor, she led multi-channel growth strategy for Estee Lauder Companies.

There, her focus was taking their traditionally offline, department-store brands and building out a direct-to-consumer and digital marketing strategy for customer acquisition and engagement. Lisa started out at the Boston Consulting Group, working with Fortune 500 retail and healthcare technology clients on brand, customer experience and market entry strategy.

Miranda Johnson

South-east Asia correspondent, The Economist

Miranda Johnson

South-east Asia correspondent, The Economist

Miranda Johnson is The Economist’s South-East Asia correspondent. Prior to this role, she was US South-east correspondent based in Atlanta and environment correspondent in London. Ms Johnson’s varied interests mean she has written for the international, United States, Britain, science and business sections on topics from youth unemployment and energy policy to smartphones and fiscal corruption. She has also edited relevant online coverage as a science correspondent and served as the editorial assistant for The World in 2014.

10:40 AM

Morning refreshment break

11:00 AM

Scenarios for America's energy sector

The Trump administration is embracing very different policies on energy than those pursued by the Obama administration. This has been widely interpreted as turning back the clock on sustainability. Yet how much of a difference will the changes really make to energy prices and consumption patterns in America? Making it easier to mine coal may not matter if the price of producing renewable energy continues to plunge. Will fracking really boom again? What difference will the global price of oil make, and how is that likely to change? Our expert panelists debate the possibilities

Jason Bordoff

Professor of professional practice, international and public affairs, Columbia University, and founding director, Center on Global Energy Policy

Jason Bordoff

Professor of professional practice, international and public affairs, Columbia University, and founding director, Center on Global Energy Policy

Jason Bordoff joined the Columbia faculty after serving until January 2013 as special assistant to the President and senior director for Energy and Climate Change on the staff of the National
Security Council, and, prior to that, holding senior policy positions on the White House's National Economic Council and Council on Environmental Quality. One of the world's top energy policy experts, he joined the Administration in April 2009. At Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, Bordoff is a professor of professional practice and serves as founding director of Columbia's Center on Global Energy Policy. Bordoff's research and policy interests lie at the intersection of economics, energy, environment, and national security. He is a frequent commentator on TV and radio, including NPR, Bloomberg, CNBC and BBC, has appeared on the Colbert Report, and has published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and other leading news outlets.

Prior to joining the White House, Bordoff was the policy director of the Hamilton Project, an economic policy initiative housed at the Brookings Institution. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Petroleum Council, and serves on the boards of Winrock International (a leading nonprofit organization that works to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources) and the New York Energy Forum. During the Clinton Administration, Bordoff served as an advisor to the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department. He was also a consultant with McKinsey & Company, one of the leading global strategy consultancies. Bordoff graduated with honors from Harvard Law School, where he was treasurer and an editor of the Harvard Law Review, and clerked on the U.S.Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He also holds an MLitt degree from Oxford University, where he studied as a Marshall Scholar, and a BA magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University

Jan Piotrowski

Environment correspondent, The Economist

Jan Piotrowski

Environment correspondent, The Economist

Jan Piotrowski is The Economist‘s São Paulo bureau chief. Previously he was the Online Science Editor from 2010, having joined The Economist following a three-month stint as the Richard Casement science intern in 2008. He is a regular contributor to “The World In” annual compilation of forecasts, which examines the critical issues that will shape the year ahead, as well as a number of Economist blogs, including Americas View, Babbage and Game Theory. Mr Piotrowski holds a PhD in linguistics and philosophy from Warsaw University, where he lectured in semantics and translation theory. Before joining The Economist, he also worked as a translator and interpreter.

Nick Schulz

Director, stakeholder relations, Public and Government Affairs, ExxonMobil

Nick Schulz

Director, stakeholder relations, Public and Government Affairs, ExxonMobil

Nick Schulz is director of Stakeholder Relations for ExxonMobil, Public and Government Affairs. Before joining ExxonMobil, Schulz was the DeWitt Wallace Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC where he conducted research and writing on the links between industrial technology, entrepreneurship, and economic growth and development. He is the author of the books "From Poverty to Prosperity: Intangible Assets, Hidden Liabilities, and the Lasting Triumph Over Scarcity" and "Invisible Wealth: the Hidden Story of How Markets Work".

Susan Avery

President emerita, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and faculty affiliate, center for science and technology policy research, University of Colorado, Boulder

Susan Avery

President emerita, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and faculty affiliate, center for science and technology policy research, University of Colorado, Boulder

Susan K. Avery is a senior fellow at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, a vising distinguished fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a faculty affiliate in the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is president emerita of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, having served as president and director from 2008 to 2015. During her tenure there, the institution increased the application of its knowledge to societal issues, providing high-quality data and analysis across a range of topics, including climate, biodiversity, natural resources and natural hazards mitigation. Prior to that, she was a member of the faculty of the University of Colorado, Boulder from 1982 to 2008, most recently holding the academic rank of professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She served as the director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, where she facilitated new interdisciplinary research efforts spanning the geosciences and incorporating social and biological sciences. From 2004 to 2007 she served in interim positions as vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate school, as well as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Dr. Avery received her Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1972 from Michigan State University and a doctorate in atmospheric science in 1978 from the University of Illinois. Her research interests include studies of atmospheric circulation and precipitation, climate variability and water resources, and the development of new radar techniques and instruments for remote sensing. She also has an interest in scientific literacy and the role of science in public policy. The author or co-author of over 110 peer-reviewed articles and reports, Dr. Avery has given scientific presentations to a wide variety of lay and professional audiences, including TEDx Boston. She has been active in Congressional outreach, including testimony and briefings; in US and international consortia dedicated to ocean research, observation, and applications; and has worked with the Governor’s committee to develop the Massachusetts Green Economy plan. Her recent professional service includes the UN Science Advisory Board and advisory committees for the US Global Change Research program, the Sustained National Climate Assessment, NASA, NSF, and NOAA.

Dr. Avery is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Meteorological Society, for which she also served as president. She currently serves on the board of trustees of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Awards and recognition include honorary degrees from Michigan State University and the University of Massachusetts. Dartmouth; charter membership of the National Associate Program in the National Academy of Sciences; and an Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois. In 2017 she was elected to the board of directors of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

11:45 AM

What capital wants

There is a seismic shift underway in capital markets, as institutional investors increasingly see environmental and social trends as risk factors, a growing number of impact investors seek positive change as well as financial returns, and the COP 21 agreement and sustainable development goals promise to harness trillions of dollars to build sustainable economies. Will any of this be derailed or altered by populism, anti-globalisation, Trump, Brexit etc? What is the latest thinking on what capital markets will demand from companies, and the likelihood that they will back management teams that prioritise sustainability over short-term profit maximisation? How will the adoption of disclosures such as those advocated by the sustainable accounting standards board alter valuations and what gets funded?

Cynthia Ringo

Senior partner, DBL Partners

Cynthia Ringo

Senior partner, DBL Partners

Cyn­thia Ringo is a Senior Part­ner of DBL Part­ners, and a Man­ag­ing Part­ner of a prior fund man­aged under DBL Investors. Ms. Ringo cur­rently sits on the board of direc­tors of The Real­Real, Urban­sit­ter, Maiyet, RubyRib­bon and Siva Power, and works with View, Yer­dle, Kateeva and Apeel Sci­ences. Ms. Ringo was for­merly a Man­ag­ing Direc­tor of Van­tage­Point Ven­ture Part­ners from 2002 to 2008 where she was Group Leader of the Com­mu­ni­ca­tions, Sys­tems, Inter­net and Media Prac­tice. Ms. Ringo served as a Board Mem­ber of the fol­low­ing Van­tage­Point port­fo­lio com­pa­nies: Entri­sphere, Klipsh, Tym­phany, Widevine, Live­scribe, Prov­ina and Meriton. Prior to Van­tage­Point Ven­ture Part­ners, Ms. Ringo served as the CEO of Cop­per­com, a next-​​generation net­work switch­ing com­pany, from 1998 to 2001 and was the Chair­man of the Board from 2001 to 2002. While at Cop­per­com Ms. Ringo took the com­pany from pre-​​revenue and five employ­ees to an indus­try leader in two new com­mu­ni­ca­tions mar­kets. Cop­per­com was acquired by Heico Cor­po­ra­tion in 2003. Prior to Cop­per­com Ms. Ringo was the SVP of Cor­po­rate Devel­op­ment and Busi­ness Units at net­work­ing com­pany Madge Net­works from 1993 to 1997.

While at Madge Net­works Ms. Ringo had P&L respon­si­bil­ity for 3 busi­ness units with $400 mil­lion rev­enue and 500 staff, and iden­ti­fied and nego­ti­ated acqui­si­tions worth over $500 mil­lion. Ms. Ringo was the VP Mar­ket­ing and Sales at data ware­hous­ing soft­ware com­pany Red Brick Sys­tems from 1990 to 1993. From 1980 to 1990 Ms. Ringo held var­i­ous legal, sales, mar­ket­ing, busi­ness devel­op­ment, and con­sult­ing roles. Ms. Ringo served on the board of the Forum for Women Entre­pre­neurs from 2000 to 2004, and as Chair of the Board for 2001 through 2003. Ms. Ringo is a men­tor to Stan­ford University’s Grad­u­ate School of Busi­ness, Cen­ter for Entre­pre­neur­ial Stud­ies. She also serves as an advi­sor to sev­eral orga­ni­za­tions includ­ing: the SVFo­rum, a Sil­i­con Val­ley lead­er­ship forum, Astia, sup­port­ing women-​​led entre­pre­neurs, as a judge for the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change com­pe­ti­tion, a mem­ber of the Emer­i­tus Board, Water­mark and is a mem­ber of Broad­way Angels. Ms. Ringo received a BS in Legal Sys­tems from Geor­gia State Uni­ver­sity and a JD from Emory Uni­ver­sity School of Law.

Jay Lipman

Co-founder, Ethic

Jay Lipman

Co-founder, Ethic

Inspired by the Simon Sinek book Start with Why, Jay Lipman co-founded and launched Ethic in 2015 to take impact investing mainstream. The San Francisco-based company is an automated investment platform that enables users to create diversified portfolios representing organizations that reflect their values. It captures data about ethical issues that affect customers’ purchasing decisions and uses it to suggest public and private companies and charities that are evaluated on social, environmental, and governance performance, as well as on financial performance. It charges a fee based on assets under management and employs a “pay what you feel is fair” model. Companies that behave better perform better, research shows.

John Podesta

Founder, Centre for American Progress

John Podesta

Founder, Centre for American Progress

John Podesta served as chair of Hillary for America. Prior to joining Hillary Clinton's campaign he served as counselor to President Barack Obama. His duties included overseeing climate change and energy policy. In 2008, he served as co-chair of President Obama’s transition team. He is the former chair of the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Prior to founding the Center in 2003, he served as White House chief of staff to President Bill Clinton. He also recently served on the President’s Global Development Council and the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Additionally, Podesta has held numerous positions on Capitol Hill, including counselor to Democratic Leader Sen. Thomas A. Daschle.

Matthew Bishop

Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist

Matthew Bishop

Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist

Matthew Bishop, Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist, is an award-winning journalist whose roles at The Economist have included business editor, Wall Street editor, globalisation editor and New York bureau chief. He is the author of several books, including Philanthrocapitalism: How Giving Can Save the World (described as “important” by president Bill Clinton) and The Road From Ruin, which set out an agenda for the reform of capitalism after the 2008 crash. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Global Governance. He was the official report author of the G8 Taskforce on Social Impact Investment and a member of the advisors group of the UN International Year of Microcredit. He co-founded and advises the #givingtuesday campaign and the Social Progress Index.

12:30 PM

Spotlight on a breakthrough technology

The second in our series of technologies with the potential to dramatically increase sustainability.

Daniel Kurzrock

Co-founder, ReGrained

Daniel Kurzrock

Co-founder, ReGrained

Dan Kurzrock is the co-founder and chief grain officer for ReGrained, a sustainable food startup that is closing the loop on grains from beer production through edible upcycling. Dan founded ReGrained out of his hobby for homebrewing beer, where he first discovered that "spent" grain could be given a delicious second life. As chief grain officer, Dan is “Mr. Outside” for ReGrained, handling all elements of growing the business. Dan holds an Economics degree from UCLA and an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School.

Jan Piotrowski

Environment correspondent, The Economist

Jan Piotrowski

Environment correspondent, The Economist

Jan Piotrowski is The Economist‘s São Paulo bureau chief. Previously he was the Online Science Editor from 2010, having joined The Economist following a three-month stint as the Richard Casement science intern in 2008. He is a regular contributor to “The World In” annual compilation of forecasts, which examines the critical issues that will shape the year ahead, as well as a number of Economist blogs, including Americas View, Babbage and Game Theory. Mr Piotrowski holds a PhD in linguistics and philosophy from Warsaw University, where he lectured in semantics and translation theory. Before joining The Economist, he also worked as a translator and interpreter.

12:40 PM

Networking Lunch

2:00 PM

Is water the new carbon

Access to water is an increasing challenge for some countries and the companies that operate in them. With global warming, this challenge will grow. What can companies do to better manage their water risks? What do they need to disclose to investors in order to help them take an accurate view of a company’s exposure to water?

Laila Patridge

Chief executive, WegoWise

Laila Patridge

Chief executive, WegoWise

Laila is the chief executive of WegoWise, an energy benchmarking company focused on the multifamily sector. She is a serial entrepreneur and Fortune 100 trained executive who enjoys working with fast growing technology companies. That work began as the director of Strategic Investments for Intel Capital where Laila was actively involved in investing in new start-ups, incubating new product and service ideas, and spinning out technologies. During that period Laila invested in such enabling technologies as RIM (the first Blackberry that delivered email via a two-way pager system), as well as Red Hat and VA Linux (early leaders in the Linux/Open Source market). While at Intel, she was also part of the executive team that launched the Itanium ® microprocessor family; her formation of the Intel ® 64 Fund provided the basis for a Harvard Business School case study. More recently, Laila has founded and led a range of technology start-ups, including companies commercializing technology developed at MIT and Caltech, improving business processes in retail, and increasing efficacy in healthcare. In 2017, Laila was named one of Ten Women to Watch in Science and Technology by the Boston Business Journal. Laila holds a BA from Wellesley College.

Josh Onishi

Chief executive, Peace Dining Corporation

Josh Onishi

Chief executive, Peace Dining Corporation

chief executive, speaker, thought leader, Josh Onishi leads Peace Dining Corporation, the largest sushi retail organization in North America. The company is known for evolving “supermarket sushi” with its innovative store within a store concept (like in Whole Foods) where an actual on-site sushi chef manages the location and prepares the freshest sushi according to the highest standard of Japanese sushi craft. Josh has been instrumental in raising the awareness and acceptance of sushi and Japanese cuisine in North America using inventive merchandising, menu and marketing concepts. Of particular note, is his commitment to global sustainability and responsible fishing practices, which are a core principle of his company and products.

He received his MBA at Columbia University and undergraduate degree from Osaka University.

Kim Marotta

Global senior director corporate social responsibility, Molson Coors

Kim Marotta

Global senior director corporate social responsibility, Molson Coors

Kim Marotta is the global senior director corporate responsibility for Molson Coors, a position she has held since December, 2016. In her role, she is responsible for building and leading the global sustainability for the company. Kim joined the beer business in 2004, and held similar positions for MillerCoors, the U.S. subsidiary of Molson Coors.

Kim completed her undergraduate degree at Marquette University and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. Prior to her career in beer, Kim was a criminal defense attorney for thirteen years and served as an adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School.

Kim is a current member of the board of directors for The Nature Conservancy-Wisconsin, and has served on numerous other local non-profit boards and organizations, including Milwaukee World Festivals, Alcohol Beverage and Medical Research Foundation and Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Miranda Johnson

Environment Correspondent, The Economist

Miranda Johnson

Environment Correspondent, The Economist

Miranda Johnson is The Economist's environment correspondent and attended COP21 climate negotiations in Paris last year. Prior to this role she lived in Atlanta to cover America’s South for the newspaper. Miranda's varied interests mean she has written for the International, United States, Britain, Science, Finance and Business sections on topics from youth unemployment to seed banks and smartphones to fiscal corruption. She has also overseen online Science coverage and served as an editorial assistant on The World in 2014.

2:30 PM

Achieving food sustainability

The global population is set to rise to almost ten billion by 2050. With so many more mouths to feed, the pressure is on food-production companies to meet demand, while honouring commitments and expectations to reduce their footprint on the environment. How can new technologies help ease the food production burden? How can companies work more closely with suppliers to reduce their environmental impact? Thinking globally but acting locally, how can food producers advance the world’s transition to a more sustainable economy, while ensuring the nutrition of its people?

Jesse Griffiths

Executive chef and owner, Dai Due Butcher Shop & Supper Club

Jesse Griffiths

Executive chef and owner, Dai Due Butcher Shop & Supper Club

Jesse Griffiths started Dai Due with partner Tamara Mayfield in 2006, initially as a supper club and farmers market stand with a mission to focus on ingredients that represent Central Texas. As the supper clubs became more popular, Griffiths became known for his appreciation of the land and his approach to hunting, which stresses a respect for the animal in its entirety and its environment. Griffiths and Mayfield expanded Dai Due to include the New School of Traditional Cookery, a series of ethical hunting, fishing, cooking and butchery classes. In less than a year, they had drawn students from around the country and gained attention from The New York Times, Texas Monthly, The Wall Street Journal, and others. Griffiths was nominated as Food & Wine's The People's Best New Chef in 2011.

In 2012 Griffiths shared his love of the hunt with his James Beard Award-finalist cookbook, Afield: A Chef’s Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish, which he worked on with Austin-based photographer Jody Horton. In the fall of 2014, Griffiths and Mayfield opened Dai Due’s brick-and-mortar butcher shop and restaurant. Described as “an ode to Texas,” the restaurant was named one of the top 15 Most Outstanding Restaurants of 2015 by Alan Richman of GQ Magazine, one of the South’s Most Exciting New Restaurants by Garden & Gun Magazine, one of Austin’s best restaurants by the Austin-American Statesman, and one of Bon Appetit’s Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America of 2015.

Richard Waycott

President and chief executive, The Almond Board of California

Richard Waycott

President and chief executive, The Almond Board of California

The Almond Board of California’s (ABC) president and chief executive Richard Waycott, joined the organization in 2002. Prior to heading up the ABC, Mr. Waycott worked for over 20 years, mostly in Latin America, in the food manufacturing and agribusiness industries, with extensive experience in the consumer products and B-to-B grains and oilseeds market segments.

Mr. Waycott’s experience compliments the other professionals at the Almond Board by bringing strategic leadership to the global development of the California almond industry. Since his appointment, worldwide almond shipments, and the activities of the ABC, have grown tremendously, with Almond Board programs now touching every aspect of the industry’s interests. The Almond Board is a very accomplished organization, one that is held in high esteem by industry stakeholders around the world.

Miranda Johnson

South-east Asia correspondent, The Economist

Miranda Johnson

South-east Asia correspondent, The Economist

Miranda Johnson is The Economist’s South-East Asia correspondent. Prior to this role, she was US South-east correspondent based in Atlanta and environment correspondent in London. Ms Johnson’s varied interests mean she has written for the international, United States, Britain, science and business sections on topics from youth unemployment and energy policy to smartphones and fiscal corruption. She has also edited relevant online coverage as a science correspondent and served as the editorial assistant for The World in 2014.

Mireille Mclean

Director, The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science, The New York Academy of Sciences

Mireille Mclean

Director, The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science, The New York Academy of Sciences

Mireille Seneclauze Mclean joined the Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences in 2011. Her activities include managing the growing pool of research grants issues through the Sackler Institute's Research Funds, organizing multi-disciplinary workshops and symposia in the field of nutrition, and supporting the dissemination of research. Mireille led the Sackler Institute’s Research Agenda effort on food sustainability and nutrition.

Prior to this, she spent over 10 years doing fieldwork for several international NGOs intervening in crisis situations. In that role, Ms. Mclean defined and directed the implementation of programs in nutrition, health, food security and sanitation for vulnerable population groups in South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East; managed large grant programs for displaced populations and conducted participatory research assessments and nutritional surveys. She also worked as a programme coordinator at the Bureau of Public Health in France, successfully improving the uptake of tuberculosis screening among at-risk population groups.

Throughout her work in nutrition and public health, Ms. Mclean is interested in highlighting the importance of implementation, delivery systems, and partnerships to translate science into better outcomes. She holds an MA in Development Economics from the University of Sussex and a Master of Public Health from the Liverpool Faculty of Medicine.

3:15 PM

Afternoon refreshment break

3:45 PM

Sustainable cities

Cities are increasingly the most effective entities for tackling sustainability challenges. How can businesses and cities partner with each other to achieve significant large-scale progress?

Ryan Popple

Chief executive, Proterra

Ryan Popple

Chief executive, Proterra

As the chief executive of Proterra, the leading innovator of zero-emission battery-electric buses, Ryan Popple brings a wealth of experience in scaling advanced transportation technologies to the company. Before joining Proterra, Popple was instrumental in the successful capitalization of Tesla and the commercialization of its Roadster. During his tenure, the company scaled from pre-revenues to $100M+ in vehicle revenue, received a loan from the Department of Energy, completed multiple private equity financings, reached profitability and achieved an IPO filing. Popple’s experience spans beyond the production side of electric vehicles. As a partner of Kleiner Perkins’ Green Growth Fund, he was focused on late-stage venture cleantech investments in mobility and transportation. Investments and board responsibilities included ChargePoint, Proterra, INRIX, Telogis, and Choose Energy. Committed to moving the industry forward, Popple serves as a board member to the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) and the EV Strategic Council working on long-term strategic planning for the transition to clean transportation systems. He holds a bachelor of business administration degree in finance from the College of William & Mary and received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.

John Mandyck

Chief sustainability officer, United Technologies Corporation

John Mandyck

Chief sustainability officer, United Technologies Corporation

John Mandyck serves as chief sustainability officer for United Technologies Corporation. A global leader in the aerospace, food refrigeration and commercial building industries, United Technologies provides high-technology systems and services that set the standard for performance, reliability and energy efficiency, with well-known global brands such as Pratt & Whitney, UTC Aerospace Systems, Carrier and Otis. John chairs the Corporate Advisory Board of the World Green Building Council, and serves as chairman of the Board of Directors for the Urban Green Council in New York City. He is a member of the Corporate Council at the Harvard University Center for Health and the Global Environment. John is the co-author of the book Food Foolish, which explores the hidden connection between food waste, hunger and climate change. Throughout his career, John has worked with governments, universities and organizations to accelerate environmental sustainability in an increasingly urbanizing world. He has presented energy efficiency, sustainability and future of food strategies to audiences around the globe.

Matthew Bishop

Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist

Matthew Bishop

Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist

Matthew Bishop, Managing director, Rockefeller Foundation and former senior editor, The Economist, is an award-winning journalist whose roles at The Economist have included business editor, Wall Street editor, globalisation editor and New York bureau chief. He is the author of several books, including Philanthrocapitalism: How Giving Can Save the World (described as “important” by president Bill Clinton) and The Road From Ruin, which set out an agenda for the reform of capitalism after the 2008 crash. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Global Governance. He was the official report author of the G8 Taskforce on Social Impact Investment and a member of the advisors group of the UN International Year of Microcredit. He co-founded and advises the #givingtuesday campaign and the Social Progress Index.

4:15 PM

Squaring the circle

The circular economy is being touted as the next big thing in sustainability. But what exactly does the phrase mean, and what should be in a company’s circular economy strategy? How is technology making it possible to achieve circular sustainability?

Trisa Thompson

Chief responsibility officer, Dell Inc.

Trisa Thompson

Chief responsibility officer, Dell Inc.

Trisa Thompson is senior vice-president and chief responsibility officer at Dell, with responsibility for Dell’s Legacy of Good program including strategic giving, sustainability, and women’s initiatives. Prior to this role, Trisa was a vice-president in Dell’s Legal Department for 12 years. Trisa graduated with honors from The National Law Center, George Washington University. She received her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Boston University in 1983, where she majored in Mass Communications.

Trisa serves as a judge for the global Circular Awards with the World Economic Forum, working to increase understanding of the benefits of a circular economy. She is also on the national corporate advisory board for the American Red Cross. Trisa received the 2008 Volunteer of the Year award from the United Way of Austin. In addition, in 2014, the National Diversity Council awarded her the Most Powerful and Influential Women of Texas Award and they also named her as one of the Top 50 Women in Technology in 2014. Outside of the office, Trisa is the incoming chair for Lifeworks in Austin, an organization helping homeless teens gain self-sufficiency. Trisa also serves on the Emeritus Advisory Board for Law and Technology News. Previously, Trisa served on the Boards of the United Way in Central Texas, the Women’s Giving Network, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, I Live Here I Give Here, and was president of the Zach Scott Theatre and KLRU Boards. She was also a founding member of the Austin/San Antonio Chapter of the Texas General Counsel Forum.

Chris Grantham

Portfolio director, IDEO London

Chris Grantham

Portfolio director, IDEO London

A portfolio director in IDEO's London studio, Chris Grantham is a brand thinker, and strategist. He began his career as an advertising planner, before working in brand, marketing, and innovation strategy, across industries.

Having taken a classic approach previously, Chris is now fascinated in developing brands in a more agile, iterative way. His expertise lies in applying design thinking to holistic brand experiences, across space, digital, people, services and business model.

Chris is also a passionate systems designer, leading IDEO’s partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, formed to advance innovative solutions towards a more circular economy.

Larry Ryan

Business president, Energy and Water Solutions, The Dow Chemical Company

Larry Ryan

Business president, Energy and Water Solutions, The Dow Chemical Company

Larry Ryan is the business president for Energy and Water Solutions, based in Houston, Texas, where he is responsible for developing and executing the global business strategy to address the ongoing needs created by the growing global population, which has increased demand in both established and emerging economies for products and technologies that can consistently improve the availability and quality of energy and water for consumer and industrial use. Dow is well positioned with a suite of offerings that serve those needs, with this business segment – Dow Microbial Control, Dow Oil, Gas and Mining and Dow Water & Process Solutions. Prior to this role, he was the global business director for Dow Oil, Gas & Mining. He joined Dow in September 2011 from Halliburton Energy Services, where he served as the global manager for water treatment.

Larry began his career with General Electric in 1998 where he held various technical and commercial leadership positions within GE Silicones, including his role in 2003 as the global technology leader for Elastomers/RTV based in Germany and as the business manager for the same unit starting in 2006. In 2007, he became the chief executive officer of SulphCo Inc., and then later moved to Halliburton in 2011 to become the global manager for water treatment. Larry holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware.

Jan Piotrowski

Environment correspondent, The Economist

Jan Piotrowski

Environment correspondent, The Economist

Jan Piotrowski is The Economist‘s São Paulo bureau chief. Previously he was the Online Science Editor from 2010, having joined The Economist following a three-month stint as the Richard Casement science intern in 2008. He is a regular contributor to “The World In” annual compilation of forecasts, which examines the critical issues that will shape the year ahead, as well as a number of Economist blogs, including Americas View, Babbage and Game Theory. Mr Piotrowski holds a PhD in linguistics and philosophy from Warsaw University, where he lectured in semantics and translation theory. Before joining The Economist, he also worked as a translator and interpreter.

Cyrus Wadia

Vice-president, Sustainable business and innovation, Nike

Cyrus Wadia

Vice-president, Sustainable business and innovation, Nike

Dr. Cyrus Wadia is vice-president, Sustainable Business and Innovation, NIKE, where he is responsible for enabling the company’s sustainability strategy with the goal of driving transformational change, not just across Nike, but also across the industry. The team he leads focuses on several areas including testing and prototyping of new business models, accelerating partnerships for scaling sustainable innovations, and supporting Nike’s broad innovation agenda through science and analytics.

Cyrus is the former assistant director for Clean Energy and Materials resource and development with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy where he advised the White House and Executive Branch leadership in the design of national policy in energy, climate, advanced materials, manufacturing, and critical minerals. In this role, which he held from 2010-2015, Cyrus was responsible for the creation and expansion of more than $1 billion in new budgetary initiatives, including the Materials Genome Initiative, and he led the development of the nation’s first policy framework and strategy on critical minerals.

Prior to joining the White House, Cyrus held a dual appointment with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the Haas School of Business where he was the Co-Director of Cleantech to Market and a research scientist. He also spent more than seven years in Silicon Valley as an entrepreneur, working with several successful venture backed tech startups.

Cyrus earned his Ph.D in Energy & Resources from U.C. Berkeley and holds both an M.S. and S.B. in Chemical Engineering from MIT.

5:00 PM

The world if...

What if businesses continue operating as usual and don’t incorporate more sustainable practices and new technologies into their daily operations? How might this damage their credibility with consumers? How would this alter market dynamics and how would it affect revenue in the short, medium and long term? We ask business leaders, economists and technologists to consider three imagined but plausible scenarios. What would the world be like if…?

Jan Piotrowski

Environment correspondent, The Economist

Jan Piotrowski

Environment correspondent, The Economist

Jan Piotrowski is The Economist‘s São Paulo bureau chief. Previously he was the Online Science Editor from 2010, having joined The Economist following a three-month stint as the Richard Casement science intern in 2008. He is a regular contributor to “The World In” annual compilation of forecasts, which examines the critical issues that will shape the year ahead, as well as a number of Economist blogs, including Americas View, Babbage and Game Theory. Mr Piotrowski holds a PhD in linguistics and philosophy from Warsaw University, where he lectured in semantics and translation theory. Before joining The Economist, he also worked as a translator and interpreter.

Julia W. Novy-Hildesley

Executive director, change leadership for sustainability, school of earth, energy and environmental sciences, Stanford University

Julia W. Novy-Hildesley

Executive director, change leadership for sustainability, school of earth, energy and environmental sciences, Stanford University

Julia Novy-Hildesley is professor of the Practice and executive director of Stanford's Change Leadership for Sustainability Program, which includes the Sustainability Science and Practice Interdisciplinary Masters degree. Her research and teaching focus on business strategies, leadership approaches and cross-sector partnerships that spur global development and align systems with the goal of intergenerational well-being. The Change Leadership Program explores the mindsets, knowledge and tools leaders need to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient society. These include understanding complex systems, leading organisational change, and innovating in complex systems at scale in order to shift sub-optimal status quo orientations toward sustainability.

With 20 years’ experience leading non-profit and philanthropic organizations, Julia Novy-Hildesley is recognised for her innovative leadership in designing and scaling entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges that integrate economic, social and environmental objectives. In 2013, she founded Resilience in Action, dedicated to helping 21st century leaders cultivate resilience in their lives, organisations and sectors. Resilience in Action leads resilience journeys to dynamic natural environments like the Peruvian Amazon, and partners with diverse organizations to enhance strategic clarity.

As executive director of the Lemelson Foundation for nearly a decade, Novy-Hildesley was responsible for guiding over $100 million of investment in new technology, inventors and social enterprises in the U.S and developing countries. She and her team designed and applied creative financing strategies, such as first-loss capital, to enable the Foundation’s philanthropic resources to leverage traditional capital from more risk-averse national and international banks. These collaborative investments supported inventor-entrepreneurs who created clean energy technologies, clean water solutions, health innovations and agricultural tools that served the needs of those living on less than $3 per day, building businesses that created jobs, increased incomes, and improved livelihoods in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

As director of World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Pacific Marine Office, Novy-Hildesley collaborated with colleagues at Unilever and WWF to help develop and launch the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a global partnership that uses third-party certification and eco-labeling to transform fisheries supply chains into sources of sustainable seafood with products now widely available in Walmart, Safeway, Target and other major retailers. As chief executive of Washington STEM, Novy-Hildesley worked with Microsoft, Boeing, and the education community to bring business into the classroom and cultivate 21st century skills for underserved youth.

In 2010, Novy-Hildesley was recognised as a distinguished Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and served as a Topic Leader for the Clinton Global Initiative on “Market-based solutions to environmental challenges.”

A Fulbright and Marshall Scholar, Novy-Hildesley speaks French, Spanish and Kiswahili, and has lived and worked extensively in developing countries for agencies, including the World Bank, USAID and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). Her writing has been published in in Innovations Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review, the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, and other publications.

Viraj Puri

Co-founder and chief executive, Gotham Greens

Viraj Puri

Co-founder and chief executive, Gotham Greens

Viraj co-founded and serves as chief executive of Gotham Greens, a worldwide pioneer in the field of commercial-scale urban agriculture. Gotham Greens provides its diverse retail, restaurant, and institutional customers with reliable, year-round, local supply of produce grown under the highest standards of food safety and environmental sustainability. The company’s non-GMO, pesticide-free produce is grown using ecologically sustainable methods in technologically-sophisticated, 100% renewable electricity-powered, climate controlled urban greenhouses. Prior to Gotham Greens, Viraj developed and managed start-up enterprises in New York, India and Malawi, Africa focusing on sustainable agriculture, green building, renewable energy, and environmental design. His written work has appeared in several books and publications including, “100% Renewable — Energy Autonomy in Action” and the UN Academic Journal.

He has received fellowships from the TED conference, Wild Gift, and the Environmental Leadership Program. Viraj is a LEED® Accredited Professional. As a thought leader on indoor agriculture, Viraj is a frequent speaker at conferences and forums around the world. Under Viraj’s leadership, Gotham Greens has grown to employ over 150 full time employees and become one of the largest and most commercially successful urban agriculture companies in the world. The company has built and operates over 170,000 square feet of greenhouses across 4 facilities in New York City and Chicago and is actively developing projects in cities across the United States.

5:30 PM

Cocktail reception

Venue

Experience the quiet luxury of a JW Marriott hotel, as attendees welcome the 1,012 elegant, oversized guest rooms, countless amenities and superior location near the best entertainment options Austin has to offer.

With the environment being a huge priority for the hotel, the JW Marriott Austin has achieved a LEED Silver certification and four-star Austin Energy Green Building rating. A few of the hotel’s environmental features include low-emitting materials, such as paints and coatings that are certified for indoor air quality, and the use of regional materials to cut down on the emissions associated with transport.

If you have any questions regarding hotel reservations, please email judyhsu@economist.com

JW Marriott Austin

Sponsors

Diamond sponsor

Hitachi

Today, Hitachi is focusing on its Social Innovation Business which combines its expertise in both IT and operational technology to build a robust portfolio of IoT data-driven solutions. Through Social Innovation, Hitachi is developing innovative solutions, together with customers through collaborative creation, that will help make the world safer, smarter, healthier and more efficient. Solving these challenges today is easier when physical and digital technologies connect through Lumada, Hitachi’s core platform for the Internet of Things.

Silver sponsor

Dow

PR agency

Porter Novelli

Porter Novelli is a global public relations agency built on a rich heritage of marketing for social good. We’ve been motivating people to change deeply ingrained behaviors rooted in cultural and social norms for more than 25 years. Porter Novelli is a different kind of agency—and we recognize, respect and champion companies with the spirit, drive and tenacity to do things differently. We like taking on big challenges, and even bigger challengers, and we seek out clients who feel the same way—clients who have the conviction to tell their own story, and the courage to innovate from who they have been into who they know they can be.

Supporting organisation

Global Sustain

Founded in 2006, Global Sustain Group with companies in London, Berlin and Athens and representation offices in Brussels, New York, Nicosia and Zurich, creates awareness and inspires and supports companies and organisations to embody sustainability, through advisory, communications, networking and training, with a focus on the people-planet-profit philosophy.

Security and Sustainability Forum

Supporting organisation

Austin CityUP

Austin CityUP Consortium provides the platform for private and public organizations and individuals to collaborate on the development and application of smart city technologies and infrastructure to improve transportation, affordability, housing, health, education, and more.

Supporting organisation

Food Tank

FoodTank is one of the fastest growing nonprofit organizations around food and agriculture issues, focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. We spotlight environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, obesity, and poverty, and create networks of people, organizations, and content to push for food system change.

Supporting organisation

CGIAR

The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) works on transforming agricultural food systems, making them the key to healthy, functioning ecosystems, human well-being and resilient livelihoods.

Speaking opportunities

Sponsorship opportunities

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